


Trapped in Data

by Mystikelh



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death (Kinda), M/M, Slow To Update, chapter 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2020-08-11 20:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20159593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystikelh/pseuds/Mystikelh
Summary: Things didn't go as planned.Gonta was supposed to come out and kill Miu for him. But as she came closer to him, the large boy didn't show up to rescue him. He was trapped, Miu standing between him and the door. No way he could jump off the roof either, he was sure to die, even in this simulation.He was trapped. He was done for.“I'm sorry, I have no choice!”She reached for him and grabbed his wrist despite his attempt at jerking it away from her. And suddenly, everything went dark.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided it was finally time for me to try and write a fic for my OTP. I guess I was always worried about writing something because Kokichi is so hard to keep in-character? But I'll try my best. Sorry in advance if I miss the mark, sometimes, haha.
> 
> This AU has been bouncing in my head for a couple of months, now, and I really wanted to give it a go since I already have an idea for the whole plot ready. I hope you guys will enjoy!

Things didn't go as planned.

Gonta was supposed to come out and kill Miu for him. But as she came closer to him, the large boy didn't show up to rescue him. He was trapped, Miu standing between him and the door. No way he could jump off the roof either, he was sure to die, even in this simulation.

He was trapped. He was done for.

“I'm sorry, I have no choice!”

She reached for him and grabbed his wrist despite his attempt at jerking it away from her. And suddenly, everything went dark.

**… … …**

_* Ding dong, dong ding! *_

_“A body has been discovered! Everyone, please report to the computer room...”_

This was the worst awakening for Kaito. Before Monokuma was even done making his announcement, he was already outside his room and running out of the dormitory. A body, in the computer room?! No, impossible! When he had left, everyone was still inside the Virtual World! Who died?! What happened?! How?!

He ran through the school, climbing the stairs two by two. His lungs were on fire, the metallic taste of blood already at his lips. He just wanted to stop and cough it all out. But he couldn't. He needed to get there. He needed to know.

Kaito finally reached the computer room, bursting through the door. All eyes turned toward him as he was panting heavily. His eyes found Shuichi and Maki immediately. They were both alive and safe, thank god.

“Hey! What's this all about?!” He all but yelled. “What was that body discovery announce—”

His voice died as he saw it. Still sitting in his chair surrounded by the others, the headset removed to reveal unseeing eyes staring in a mix of shock and fear, was Kokichi. The small supreme leader that took pleasure in causing havoc was now unmoving, his life taken away, and this time it wasn't a lie.

“Wha—? Kokichi?! What happened?!” he asked, still struggling to swallow the news.

“We were still searching the Virtual World when we were all suddenly disconnected,” Shuichi explained, already on detective mode. “When we took off our headset, we discovered that Kokichi was dead.” He lifted his hand, showing a small bottle. “But I found this bottle sitting next to him. It's a poison from my Ultimate Lab,” he added.

The way Shuichi was frowning at the bottle, Kaito could tell this wasn't all there was to it. But for whatever reason he had, the detective chose to not tell them.

“So he must have been poisoned while we were all inside the Virtual World,” Keebo said matter-o-factually.

“Yeah!” exclaimed Miu, her voice shaking. She pointed at him. “Where the fuck were you, space dick?!”

“I… I was just taking a nap,” he said. Suddenly, he felt very nervous about the whole thing. This wasn't good for him.

“Taking a nap?” Shuichi repeated. He sounded surprised and thoughtful.

“You were sleeping?” Gonta said. “Gonta was sleeping, too! Had strange dream! Gonta not understand anything!”

Keebo sighed. “As I said, that was the Virtual World…”

“You fucking logged out from the Virtual World without my permission?!” Miu all but yelled, getting more frenzied. “And you say you went to take a nap?!”

“I suddenly got logged out! Before I realized it, I was back here!”

“You were logged out… involuntarily?” Shuichi asked.

He could see his sidekick sweating. He internally begged Shuichi to believe him.

“Yeah…” he said. “I didn't know if it was okay to log back in, so I went back to my room and slept.”

When he had taken off the headset, he had felt exhausted and sick. He had stayed in the room for a few minutes, watching everyone silently sitting there before he decided to leave. He was sure Kokichi was still alive, back then! He looked just fine.

“And when that body discovery announcement woke me up, I rushed over here—“

“Fucking bullshit!” Miu interrupted him. “You think we're all dumbasses?! Obviously, you logged out, went and grabbed the bottle of poison, and killed Kokichi!”

“What?! No, I didn't! I swear I just went to my room!”

“Oh please! We all fucking know you hated the little shit!”

“N-No, it's not like that!”

“But of course, you're such a moron that you didn't even cover your track! This trial will be over in a minute!”

“Let's not jump to conclusions,” Shuichi said, and Kaito felt relief that he wasn't accusing him too.

Miu scoffed. “What?! You're going to try to defend him?! He's the killer! There's no doubt about it.”

“Do you want to die?” Maki told her, glaring angrily.

The inventor let out a scared squeal, losing all her bravado.

Monotaro put himself in front of her, pulling his claws out. “Hey! Don't threaten my mommy!”

His mom— Oh, whatever.

“B-But I'm saying t-the truth, and I c-can prove it!” Miu stuttered.

“You can?” Shuichi asked, surprise in his tone.

“Yes! The computer keeps a record of everybody who logs-in and logs-out of the Virtual World! So if Moronta really isn't the killer, then we should see someone login out and back into the Virtual World!”

As she explained it, Miu moved toward the huge computer, typing away on the keyboard. Kaito felt a spark of hope ignited inside him. He knew he wasn't the killer, so there had to be something to prove he was innocent! Or at least, that someone else could be guilty! But this hope was quickly crushed…

“See! Like I fucking told you!” Miu exclaimed.

On the computer screen, a window was open showing the record of log-ins and log-outs.

_//23:02 Himiko, Tsumugi, Kaito, K1-B0, Shuichi log-in._  
_ //23:03 Maki log-in._  
_ //23:04 Kokichi, Gonta log-in._  
_ //23:06 Miu log-in._

_//05:17 Kaito log-out._  
_ //06:30 Gonta, Himiko, K1-B0, Maki, Miu, Shuichi, Tsumugi log-out._

Nobody else had left. Everyone logged out at the same time except him.

“This doesn't mean anything! I… I didn't kill Kokichi!” he said.

“Then who fucking did, huh? None of us were able to do it!”

“I don't know, but it wasn't me!”

“Fucking bullshit!”

Monokuma suddenly popped in between them, scaring the hell out of Kaito. “Now, now, please save your arguments for the class trial. In the meantime…” He pulled out various familiar electronic tablets. “Ta-da! The Monokuma File! With this, you can know the whole truth about Kokichi's death!”

The bear proceeded to hand one to each one of them.

“Well then, do your best! I hope you can keep it as entertaining as Kokichi was able to!”

And with that, the monochrome bear disappeared.

“I think that's our queue to start investigating properly,” Shuichi said, some tension in his voice.

“Why? We all know he did it!” Miu said, pointing at him again.

“Let's not jump to conclusions. We need to uncover the whole truth if we want to survive this class trial, remember?”

Kaito nodded, grinning while putting his fists together. “Yeah! Listen to my sidekick! He'll prove that I'm innocent! So, where do we start?”

“I want to check a few things on the computer, first. Miu, can you help me with that?”

The blond girl scoffed. “Sure, whatever. Won't change shit.”

With that, the detective and inventor turned their attention toward the computer screen. There was no point really for Kaito to just watch them, so might as well do something else. He looked around. Everyone was already doing their thing.

Kaito pulled up the Monokuma File and opened it. Immediately, the smiling picture of Kokichi, along with his profile, appeared. The little “Dead” logo next to him. A tight feeling manifested itself in his chest at this sight. He quickly clicked on the next page.

** _Cause of Death_ **  
_ The victim's body was discovered in the computer room,_  
_ on the fourth floor of the school._  
_ The estimated time of death is 6:30 a.m._  
_ No injuries can be found on the victim's body._

That wasn't much information. Not even a clue as to how he died. Guess he could have been poisoned if no injuries were found on him…

His gaze turned toward the corpse still sitting in the chair. Kaito bit his lip and walked to it. Kokichi was still frozen in this shocked expression. It looked so wrong. He shouldn't be so still, so silent. He was always loud, making himself look so much larger and stronger than he really was. Now he just looked small, scared, vulnerable… dead…

They might not have seen eye to eye very often. Hell, they never did. But there was something to it that Kaito had learned to appreciate. A burning rivalry between them. Yes, Kokichi Ouma was his rival. Those were as important as friends. After all, you can't improve without motivation. The way Kokichi always poked at his morals, questioning them, pushed him to prove him wrong. As well as the constant chases around the school during the few normal days they had, when Kokichi wasn't who knows where hidden from everyone else, were quite entertaining. Now those were things from the past…

Kaito remembered when he had punched Kokichi, a few days ago. Kokichi had avoided him completely, afterward. He was kinda worried he had scared him. He had just wanted to snap Kokichi out of it! He was starting to act weird. More hostile and vile than usual. He had observed Kokichi a lot, trying to understand him, so he knew when his behavior changed. Maybe he should have tried to help him…

He reached for Kokichi's hand, putting his own over it. It was cold, the warmth slowly fading away.

“I'm sorry,” he said, not really sure what exactly he was apologizing for.

He let go of his hand just in time before Maki approached him.

“Don't worry, I know you didn't kill him,” she said. “I don't think you're even capable of it.”

“I'll take it as a compliment, I guess,” he said in a somber tone.

“At least he won't be there to interfere with the trial,” she added after a moment.

He grimaced. “You say that like he deserved it.”

His sidekick started to play with her pigtail, a pout on her face. “I'm just saying he was always a nuisance.”

He sighed. But before he could say anything else, Shuichi came toward them.

“So, what did you find?” Kaito asked, eager to hear about it.

“Some things just don't match up. The Monokuma File says that Kokichi died at the exact moment we were all disconnected from the Virtual World. But Kokichi's avatar was never disconnected. So I'd like to go investigate inside the Virtual World. Miu said the Virtual World came back online immediately after we were disconnected, so it should be working again.”

“You think his death is related to the sudden disconnection we all experienced?” Maki said.

The detective nodded. “I don't think Kokichi died from the poison…” he said, looking straight at Kaito. “I think he somehow died in the Virtual World. And his death caused the Virtual World to crash and disconnect us all.”

Kaito grinned. “So that means you believe I didn't do it!”

Shuichi nodded again. “It seems that way for now. Himiko, Tsumugi and Keebo already decided to come with me. Miu said she'll keep analyzing everything on the computer, and Gonta still believes the Virtual World was a dream, so he doesn't want to “go back to sleep”.”

“Then I'm coming with you too!” Kaito said, putting his fists together. “I want to help in clearing my name!”

“I'll stay here. Just to keep an eye out,” Maki said.

He grinned and gave her a thumbs up. “Great! I'm counting on you, then!”

The assassin started to play with her pigtail again, a slight blush on her face. “Just go, you idiot.”

Kaito, Keebo, Himiko, Tsumugi, and Shuichi prepared to enter the Virtual World. They sat on the same seat as before, picking their headset up.

“Uhh… so the red cord goes in the right side and the blue cord in the left, yeah?” he asked just to be sure. He didn't want to mess it up. Who knows what would happen.

“Yeah, let's do that,” Shuichi said.

“R-Right is the hand I hold my chopsticks with. I… gotta be sure to get it right,” he heard Himiko say for from the other side of the room.

“If you're that worried, why don't you use one that's already set up?” Tsumugi asked her.

Kaito didn't hear the rest of the conversation as he put the headset back onto his head and flipped the switch. Immediately, he felt all the data flashing before his eyes, his whole mind leaving his body to be transported into the Virtual World. He briefly saw a logo before an intense flash of light brought him into the living room of the virtual manor where they others arrived almost simultaneously.

Then, something none of them ever expected happened. They heard a voice… A voice so familiar, a voice that should have been silenced forever, coming from right behind them.

“—chi Ouma! Kokichi Ouma! Ugh, what the hell is wrong with this thing?! Helloooooo?”

They all turned around to witness the small and cartoony avatar of Kokichi shaking the phone with an annoyed expression. Despite the limited range of expressions on their avatar, Kaito could feel the shock coming from everyone.

The avatar of Kokichi noticed them and turned with a smile. “Oh, you're back!” His expression switched to a sad one. His tone in an exaggerated whine. “You all left me all alone! And the phone won't let me log out! Can someone explain to me what's going on?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to say thank you to everybody who left a Kudos or comment on the first chapter. I really appreciate all your support and it made me very happy.
> 
> And now, ooh boy. Here we come to the part that prevented me to write any Oumota fic beforehand: Kokichi's character. I'm so, so, so much afraid I'll totally botch his character. He's such a complex one. I'm really, really sorry if it isn't anything as great as some of the amazing writers here. But I did my best and I hope it's enough.
> 
> So now, let's get to it!

It all happened in an instant. Miu grabbed his wrist and he felt his whole body freezing, just like she wanted. Then, it was like he blinked. Everything went dark, then it was back. His body wasn't frozen anymore and Miu was nowhere to be seen.

…What happened?

His eyes scanned the roof, but it was completely empty.

“Miu?” he called. “Gonta?” he tried.

No answer.

He felt himself release a tense sigh. He was… alive? He was alive! But how…?

Something wasn't right. Not that he wasn't glad to not have been murdered by one of the two people he was able to somewhat call his allies, but why had Miu simply vanished? Had she been disconnected? And where had Gonta gone to? He was supposed to be there. Was that Monokuma's doing? Had the bear decided to break their little agreement just to mess further with him? No, it didn't make sense. Monokuma wanted them to kill each other. That Miu's plan succeeded, or that he killed Miu using Gonta, he would have been happy. It was a win-win situation for him. He would never interfere. Then what?

…This game was driving him crazy. He just wanted it all to end. To go home and find DICE.

…

But that was impossible, wasn't it? He saw it with his own eyes. The world was completely destroyed, uninhabitable. Now he was utterly alone. The only people left in this world all hated him, betrayed him. Only thing left to do was to stop this game, no matter what. And he could only trust himself.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Right, he shouldn't be just standing there. Who knows if Miu would come back to finish the job. His plan failed, so he shouldn't stay here. He should probably join Shuichi and Tsumugi downstairs, and find Gonta if possible. Not that he was worried about that giant idiot.

Without losing another second, he walked to the door and climbed down the stairs. The warmth of the manor made him shiver. He had to admit the Virtual World was a very complete simulation. The cold felt very real, making him glad to be back inside. Winter had never been his favorite season. Who liked being cold? Sure, playing in the snow was fun, but trying to sleep when you are shivering was impossible.

Whatever. He took a carefree demeanor and waltzed toward the dining room, pushing the doors open. “Heyyy! So, I haven't found anything outside and I'm bored, why don't we leave this place?” he said with a huge grin on his face.

He opened his eyes to realize the dining room was empty. Weird, shouldn't Shuichi and Tsumugi be searching somewhere around here? He marched toward the kitchen and poked his head through the door.

“Hellooooooo?”

Nobody here either.

Okay, wow. Did they leave the manor without him? How rude!

He turned back and returned to the entrance, checking to make sure that nobody was in the living room either. Nope.

“Mmh, maybe they went to get the others at the church. Did they find how to cross the river?” he wondered out loud.

Only one way to find out. He exited the manor through the front door and made his way on the path leading to the river, but he quickly encountered an obstacle when he discovered the plank that they used as a bridge was still nowhere to be seen.

“Wait, how did they cross, then?”

Had they even crossed? They wouldn't leave the Virtual World with the others stranded on the other side, would they?

“Hellooo? Himiko~! Keebo~! Killer girl~! Are you there?”

No answer again. Well if they were on the other side of the loading screen they couldn't hear him from this side. Better turn around and find Shuichi, Tsumugi and Gonta on this side. But an uncomfortable feeling was growing inside him. Where was everyone?

He searched around the manor and in the woods, calling for the names of his classmates. He even walked to the wall and called again for the three that were supposed to be on the other side. He knew the church was just on the other side of the wall. Miu hadn't been subtle about the changes she made, and she had been dumb enough to leave her whole plan where he was able to see. But he never got an answer from anyone.

“…Okay, this is getting a bit creepy,” he admitted, a worried expression on his avatar. “Hey, Monokuma, I have a question!”

The bear had no choice but to answer to him, right? …Right?

…

Apparently not.

Alright, screw this, he was getting out of here. If nobody was here, then they must have left the Virtual World. There was no other explanation. And he didn't want to stay one more minute in this place.

Running back inside the manor, he reached the phone in the living room. He only needed to say his full name into it and he would be disconnected.

He picked up the receiver and enunciated it loud and clear: “Kokichi Ouma.”

Seconds ticked by. Then a minute.

Weird. Shouldn't he had been disconnected by now?

“Kokichi Ouma!” he tried again.

Again, nothing happened. His frustration was growing.

“Kokichi Ouma! Kokichi Ouma!” he repeated again. “Ugh, what the hell is wrong with this thing?! Helloooooo?” He started to shake the phone in annoyance. Why wouldn't it disconnect him?!

A gasp behind him drew his attention. He turned around to find Shuichi, Keebo, Himiko, Kaito, and Tsumugi standing there, staring at him.

Oh. Here they were. Wait, how were Himiko and Keebo on this side? And when did Kaito reconnected himself into the Virtual World?

Nevertheless, he quickly changed his expression into a smiling one to hide his worries. “Oh, you're back!” He was so glad to not be alone again. A ball of emotion rose up into his chest, and he quickly changed his approach for exaggerated annoyance and whining to hide how upset he was. “You all left me all alone! And the phone won't let me log out! Can someone explain to me what's going on?”

None of them answered him, just staring with shocked expressions.

He frowned. What the hell was going on?

He smiled again. “What, the bear got your ton—”

He was cut off by the screeching sound of Kaito's scream. The astronaut in training had jumped back in fear, putting as much distance between them. The next thing he said made him even more confused.

“A GHOST! A GHOST!”

Kokichi looked behind him to be sure that Kaito hadn't seen anything behind him. No, the wall was perfectly normal.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he snapped, feeling completely done with all this.

“Wait, that's impossible!” Keebo said, pointing at him.

“Does that mean Kokichi is going to haunt us, now?” Himiko added.

“Maybe this is an error in the simulation. An NPC of some sort,” Tsumugi concluded.

“Me, a ghost? But you're the ones who left without me! You totally ghosted me,” Kokichi said, bringing the crocodile tears. “I was so scared without you guys.”

That wasn't a lie, but they had no way of knowing it.

Kaito had curled up in a corner, still whining in fear. “I want to get out! I don't want to be haunted by a virtual ghost!”

“Why do you keep saying I'm a ghost?! And where were you all?!” Kokichi asked angrily.

“We all got disconnected from the Virtual World at the same time,” Shuichi explained carefully like he was worried to trigger something with his words. “The simulation crashed. And when we took off our headsets, we… we found you. Dead. We're currently investigating your murder.”

Everything went blank in Kokichi. His expression, his mind, his emotions. Dead, him? No, that was impossible. He… He was still here! He… He was alive! Miu hadn't killed him! She had vanished. She… No, no, no, no! It's impossible!

“That's a very bad lie, Shuichi. Are you trying to pull a prank on me?” he asked, his tone of voice scarily monotone.

“I'm afraid not…”

“There was the body discovery announcement and everything,” Tsumugi said. “We even got the Monokuma file.”

“But I'm alive! I'm still here!” he said, every semblance of calmness having vanished from him. “Look at me! I'm not some kind of NPC! It's me! Kokichi!” He slapped his hands on his chest for emphasis.

“Believe me, Kokichi, in the real world, you are definitely dead…” Shuichi said.

“No! It must be a trick! You're lying!” He stared up at the ceiling as if it was a portal toward the real world. “Miu, you bitch, is that one of your dumb jokes?! Let me out of here!”

“Kokichi, please, calm down,” Keebo begged with agitation.

“I AM CALM!”

He started to pace around, trying to get the whirlwind of thoughts in his head under control. He wished he could bite his nails, but his avatar had none.

He had to think. He couldn't be dead, it was impossible. If he was dead, he wouldn't still be moving around. He's still in control of his avatar. But the last thing he remembers before everyone disappeared was Miu freezing his avatar, ready to kill him. Did she succeed? Did she killed him and he somehow… got back up? No, it couldn't be right. She just vanished, leaving him alone. And the fact that he couldn't disconnect was just a coincidence. It's not because Miu killed him! She just… She just…

“She killed me?” he said out loud.

“Who was it?” the detective asked. “If you can tell us what happened, maybe we can figure something out.”

Kokichi started blankly at Shuichi. What should he do? Worm his way into a lie? How could he manipulate this situation to his advantage? He needed to take back control of what was happening. But how? What was he supposed to do?! He didn't even know what was happening to him, right now! He's dead in the real world, but he's alive in the Virtual World?! How was it possible? There were too many questions!

“Miu.”

The name had just fallen from his lips. He didn't know what to do and he hated it. Him. Dead. No, that was worst. If he was dead, he wouldn't have to be here facing his own mortality. What was he supposed to do, now? Be trapped in this simulation forever? If that was true, then there was no point in trying, anymore.

Shuichi frowned. “Miu? Miu killed you?”

He nodded.

“I did overhear you two talking about meeting on the roof of the mansion, but… How did she cross the river to the manor without the bridge!” Keebo said.

“This was all part of her plan. She prepared the whole simulation to kill me.”

“Wait! You knew?!” Kaito exclaimed, finally snapping out of his fearful daze. He was still shaking, though. “Since when?!”

“I found out what she was planning the other night,” he answered blankly.

The astronaut looked like he was about to lose it. “You knew she was planning to murder you, and you didn't say a thing?!”

Kokichi couldn't help the smiling expression appearing on his face. It was just the force of habit. “C'mon, I'm a liar. Even if I did, none of you would have believed me!”

“N-No, you're…” Kaito started, but his protest died on his tongue.

“Wait, weren't you also the one who convinced all of us to come inside the Virtual World in the first place?” Tsumugi wondered.

“Yeah. I didn't want to go, that's for sure. And I was right too!” Himiko said.

“I was hoping to catch her red-handed,” he lied.

He wasn't too sure what he really wanted, to be honest. Did he want to get back at her for betraying him? He wanted to get rid of the two pieces that did and could betray him in one swoop? Did he really wanted to mercifully kill all of them so they wouldn't have to face the real world as he did? Did he want to test on how much Monokuma would stretch the rules for entertainment? He wanted to say 'yes' to all of those. But clearly, it all backfired.

Kaito frowned, bringing up his fist. “And where did it lead you to, you idiot?!”

Kokichi scowled. He really didn't need that right now. So instead of coming with a snarky remark, he simply said: “Boo.”

To his satisfaction, the Ultimate Astronaut visibly jumped.

“Don't do that,” he growled.

“So what do we do, now?” Keebo asked. “We are supposed to investigate for the trial, but Kokichi is still technically alive.”

“You just said I was dead,” he said.

“Well, your physical body is dead, but your consciousness is still alive in here. Wouldn't that count for something?” the robot said, somewhat sheepishly.

“At least we know who done it,” Himiko mumbled.

“That's if Kokichi isn't lying,” Tsumugi added.

Kokichi smiled. “Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not.”

Shuichi sighed. “Anyway, maybe it would be for the best to go back out and confront Miu on the question.”

“So we're leaving?” Himiko asked.

“Yeah. We'll come back when the question is dealt with to inform Kokichi. And if the trial is still scheduled, we'll have to investigate more. Don't touch anything, please,” the detective said, the last part to Kokichi specifically.

“Wait, should we leave him alone here?” Kaito asked.

“Aww. Kaito is afraid I'll be naughty if I'm left alone? Nee-heehee!”

“No! I just… Maybe you don't want to be alone!”

Kokichi blinked, surprised. Kaito had hit the bullseye. But he refused to admit to him he was right in any way.

“You're totally wrong! Being alone in here is great. Finally, some peace and tranquility! You guys better get out of here, and I'll be waiting for you! Maybe go see if a virtual cake tastes as good as a real one!”

Kaito stared at him but didn't reply.

Shuichi passed next to him and picked up the phone. He turned to him and said “We'll be back soon.” before saying his name into the receiver and disappearing in a ray of light.

The others did the same one by one. First Tsumugi, then Keebo, then Himiko. Kaito picked the phone last and looked at Kokichi again.

“You sure you don't want me to stay?”

Kokichi grimaced. “I would rather be dead for real than spend any time with you! And weren't you scared of me? I'm the big scary virtual ghost! Oooooohh~!”

“Oh shut up, you asshole! Fine, I didn't want to stay anyway! Kaito Momota!”

In a flash of light, Kaito was gone and Kokichi was left alone again. The grin on his face disappeared like a switch had been turned off. He walked to the phone, picking it up too.

“Kokichi Ouma,” he said into it.

But nothing happened. He had nowhere to return to. Or maybe 'Kokichi Ouma' simply didn't exist, anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, finally. It took a while, huh? ...I'm very sorry about that.
> 
> I just wanted to say WOW. I've never had so much support for a fic I've written before and I can't tell you how much every kudos and comment I received made me so happy. It's just so... wow... I love you guys. Thank you so much! <3

Disconnecting from the Virtual World was a weird experience. It was like suddenly waking up with memories from another life. Even if their trip had been short, it took a few seconds for Kaito to find his footing into reality again. The others were already getting up from their seats, attracting the attention of the three people who had stayed out.

“Already back?” Maki said, walking toward him and Shuichi. “Did something happen?”

“You could say that…” had answered Himiko sheepishly.

“We found Kokichi…” Keebo added. He was glancing at Miu anxiously.

Clearly, nobody wanted to drop the accusation on the Ultimate Inventor who was still standing next to the computer, looking at them with eyes full of anguish.

“You found him?” she said, talking louder than needed. “So like, his avatar is just laying on the roof?”

“No, he's alive,” Kaito finally spoke.

Everyone turned to him to stare at him sitting with his arm crossed in his chair, Maki, Miu, and Gonta looked a lot more shocked than the others, and rightfully so.

“Alive?! Kokichi alive?!” Gonta said, agitated.

“What are you talking about?” Maki asked. “He's clearly dead,” she added while looking at the corpse sitting still in his own chair.

“But not in the Virtual World,” Shuichi explained. “When we logged in, Kokichi was right there in the living room, trying to disconnect himself with the phone. When he saw us, he demanded to know what was happening. We had to explain to him that he had been murdered.”

“Wait, that's impossible!” Miu exclaimed. “Our avatars are directly connected to us! He can't be dead here and alive in the simulation!”

Kaito frowned. “Well, he is. And he wasn't very happy to learn that he was dead.”

“What did he say?” Maki asked, looking straight at him.

There was a heavy silence. The tension was so thick, Kaito felt like if he moved it would be in slow motion.

“Why did you do this, Miu?” Keebo asked, his voice small.

All the color in the inventor's face drained. She let out a squeal when all eyes turned to her, before doing what she did best. Swearing and yelling.

“The fuck you mean?! I did nothing! Why the fuck is it my fault?!”

“Yeah!” Monotaro yelled. “Don't accuse my mommy!”

“Kokichi told us that you killed him,” Tsumugi said, rubbing her arm.

“Miu killed Kokichi?” Gonta repeated in disbelief.

“M-Me?! I fucking didn't! All of you bitches are just accusing me because you're jealous or something! I didn't kill him! I never disconnected from the Virtual World, so how the fuck did I give him the poison, huh?!”

“Mommy's right!” the small red bear added.

“You didn't need to disconnect if you killed him in the simulation. After all, we already established that if someone dies in the simulation, then they die for real,” Shuichi retorted.

“And how the fuck did I kill him, Pooichi, huh?! I deleted all weapons from the stupid thing!”

“You're the one who modified the program. Nothing would have prevented you from hiding a weapon somewhere,” Maki pointed coldly.

Miu squealed. “B-But… But…! Kokichi was at the manor! A-And I was on the other side, at the church!”

“Kokichi said you prepared the whole simulation to kill him. It was all part of your plan,” Kaito said. He felt anger rise up when he thought back the fact that Kokichi knew and still walked right into her trap. “He knew from the start! He told us everything!”

The Ultimate Inventor gritted her teeth. “And I bet Kokichi isn't even alive in there! You're just all fucking making shit up to protect Moonfucker right there who obviously killed him! I didn't fucking kill Kokichi. I didn't even see his little shitty face since we got separated by the river!”

Monotaro waved his little paw at them. “Yeah, you're all liars!”

“If that's true, then how did you know he was murdered on the roof?” Shuichi asked.

Miu looked at Shuichi. “Huh?”

“When we said that we found Kokichi, you asked if we found his avatar laying on the roof. How did you know he was murdered there? We all got disconnected the moment he was murdered. So how did you know his body would be there if there was one?”

Miu was frozen, sweat running down her face and neck.

“That's true!” Keebo exclaimed. “If you didn't kill him and you didn't see him, how would you know that he was attacked on the roof?”

“B-Because… Because…”

“Now that you say it, I think I saw Miu walking outside the window when I was searching the manor,” Tsumugi said, sounding somewhat absent-minded.

They were now all staring at her, all of them believing her to be the blackened.

“Stop staring at me!” she yelled in desperation. “Why are you all against me?!”

“I'm not against you, mommy! I believe y--”

“Oh shut up!”

She gave a kick to the red robot bear in frustration, making him bounce a few meters away. As soon as he recovered, Monotaro started crying and disappeared. Miu just kept staring at the ground, looking defeated.

Kaito didn't know how to feel. Angry? Sad? Betrayed? Why did this keep happening? Why did his friends keep killing each other and why couldn't he stop it? He looked over at Kokichi's silent form sitting in his chair.

“Why did you kill Kokichi?” he asked, his voice sounding more like a growl than he wanted.

The inventor kept looking at the ground, avoiding their gaze. Her expression was defeated, but Kaito noted a hint of annoyance in her tone. “Kokichi is a lot smarter than you guys think. He got a lot of shits figured out that none of us don't. I thought that if I got rid of him, then I would have more chance to survive the class trial…”

“So you really killed him,” Himiko said, also looking defeated.

“But why?!” Kaito asked again, feeling angrier.

Miu hugged herself, eyes glistering with tears. “After the Flashback Light that showed us the meteors, I… I needed to get out! I needed to get out there and help them stop those goddamn meteors with my inventions! I needed to… to know if my family and my fr--”

“HOLD ON A SECOND!!”

The shrilling voice of Monokuma shocked them all into silence as the bear appeared out of no where, fuming. Claws ready to tear them apart.

“What is going on here?!”

“We know that Miu killed Kokichi,” Maki answered, coldly. “She admitted it.”

The bear growled. “This isn't how it's supposed to go! You're supposed to investigate, then have a battle of truth and lies with the blackened during the class trial!” He pointed at Miu. “Now you just ruined EVERYTHING!”

“Kokichi is the one who told us that Miu killed him!” Keebo exclaimed.

The anger of the robot bear was replaced by confusion. “Kokichi?”

“Somehow, Kokichi's consciousness stayed alive inside the Virtual World despite dying in the real world. When we reconnected ourselves, we found him and he said that Miu had killed him,” Shuichi explained.

Monokuma flared back up. “WHAT?! How is this possible?! The Virtual World is programmed to kill the avatar at the same time as the user! Argh! That little annoying pest is still causing me problems even dead! I can't believe it!”

“Since Kokichi is technically alive, Miu isn't really the blackened…” Keebo attempted.

“Still alive?” Monokuma repeated. “He looks very dead to me!” For emphasis, Monokuma waddled to Kokichi's chair and gave a good kick to his leg.

“Hey! Leave him the fuck alone!” Kaito immediately yelled.

“But since the blackened stupidly revealed herself, I can't declare a class trial! It would be a waste of time and resources!” He growled again. “You're all causing me a lot of problems, right now! I will need to work something out, but for now, the class trial is postponed until I say so! Until then, everyone back to their room! It's an order!”

As if on queue, the pink Exisal belonging to Monophanie appeared through the door, menacing them with its heavy weaponry.

“You heard him! Time to leave!” the girly voice announced with an angry tone. “Serve you right for making Monotaro cry!”

“But what about Kokichi?” Kaito asked.

“I will deal with him too, don't worry,” Monokuma said darkly before chuckling in his paws.

Kaito felt a knot form in his stomach, worried as what would happen to the Supreme Leader trapped in the Virtual World. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything else but stare at his body as they were pushed outside the computer lab by the giant pink mech.

Monophanie followed them all the way to the dormitories, and once they were all inside, she turned her back to them and stayed still, guarding the only entrance.

“What do we do, now?” Kaito asked. He wanted so much to do something. Anything.

“There's nothing we can really do but wait,” Tsumugi answered, sighing.

“Gonta not understand. Where is Kokichi? Is Kokichi dead or alive?”

“It's complicated,” Keebo said.

“What do we do about Miu?” Himiko asked. “Do we need to lock her up somewhere…”

“Fucking try me, you little bitch!” she yelled in retaliation. She was still visibly upset, tears messing up her make-up. “Bet you can't wait for me to fucking die!”

“I say we just let her be. She's not a threat anymore,” Maki said flatly. “Trying to hurt any of us would be pointless, as she's already a killer.”

“This is unfair! Even if he's in the Virtual World, Kokichi's consciousness is still alive!” Keebo said. “My consciousness is made of data, too! It is the same thing, and I'm alive!”

“Yes, but… You have a body. Kokichi is… dead.” Shuichi said, looking unhappy to dismiss his friend's claim.

“The voices in my head say that Kokichi is still with us and that Miu shouldn't be punished since his consciousness still exists!”

“I don't think the opinion of the voices in your head really matters, Keebo,” Himiko mumbled.

“Anyway, I think we should try to rest as much as we can before tomorrow,” Tsumugi proposed. “There's no point in standing here. There's nothing we can do.”

The mage nodded. “Yeah, we spent all night in the Virtual World and I'm tired…”

“I don't think I could sleep even if I tried,” Miu commented.

“You brought this on yourself,” Maki responded harshly.

Kaito frowned. “Maki Roll, please.” Even if she did kill Kokichi, Kaito couldn't bring himself to cause her any more pain.

Maki pouted. “But it's true.”

“Let's just go to sleep. We don't know what's waiting for us, tomorrow,” Shuichi said.

They all separated each other to join the loneliness of their room. As soon as he was in his, Kaito collapsed on the bed with a sigh. Things had gotten out of control too fast for him to comprehend. Then again, it's always like that in here. One moment, everything is peaceful, and the next one of their friends killed someone to try to escape this place…

He felt so useless. Despite doing everything he could to motivate the others, to keep everyone's spirit up, murders kept happening. This time was no different. He should have never left the computer room. He should have just reconnected. Maybe, then, he could have saved Kokichi. After all, Miu had let slip that she had attacked him on the roof. If he had come back inside the simulation, instead of leaving, then he could have saved Kokichi…

He had really seemed upset when they announced to him he was dead. Kaito had never seen such raw and honest emotions on the liar's face. That's what convinced Kaito that he wasn't just a vengeful spirit. He had felt too real at that moment. His mask had completely crumbled, leaving bare his true self. Someone scared that felt like he had no one to turn to.

Kaito grimaced, feeling something twisting in his guts.

He turned to his side, closing his eyes, trying very hard to stop his mind from being plagued by regrets and what-ifs. After long, the exhaustion finally settled in and he fell in a dreamless slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I hope you didn't miss this fic too much.  
I'm sorry for being such a slow writer, lol. But I'm still so grateful for the overwhelming amount of support I get on this fic, and I don't want anyone to worry about its future. Even if it takes me forever, I will finish this fic one day! I had the whole plot figured out from the start. It shouldn't take more than 15 chapters. Not going to be a very long fic, unlike my KH one, haha.  
The chapter is a bit short, and I'm sorry for that, but this time I'll try to get the next one out sooner.  
Enjoy!

_* Ding Dong Bing Bong *_

_“Rise and shine, ursine! This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. Every student is requested to come immediately to the gymnasium for an important meeting! You're not allowed to miss it, so be quick!”_

Nothing was more grating than to wake up to this bell and those damn bears every morning. But this time, Kaito didn't have time to feel annoyed and angry. No, at the mention of this important meeting, the astronaut had felt dread. This probably meant that Monokuma had come to a decision regarding the fate of Miu, as well as Kokichi still in the Virtual World.

Or had Monokuma already gotten rid of him for “losing the game” and now he was about to get rid of Miu for getting caught? No, he didn't want to lose any more friends. Even if they couldn't really call Kokichi a friend, seeing how he always acted with people. But if Kaito had learned anything from last night, it was that he cared for Kokichi to some extent. Enough to be upset when his body was discovered.

As much as he wanted to keep laying there and delay this inevitable, he needed to get up and go, or else Monokuma might punish him for making him wait.

With a groan, he pushed himself up from his bed. It felt like it was more effort than it should be, his lung burning up at the change of position. His throat was scratchy, his chest heavy. Breathing was painful. He fucking hated that. He attempted to clear his throat, get the itchiness away. But it only made it worse and threw him in a coughing fit. He brought his sleeve to his mouth, coughing wetly into it for a few minutes before he was finally about to breathe again. He took a few breaths and looked down, grimacing at the blood covering the sleeve, now. He really fucking hated that.

Focus, Kaito. You need to go.

He pushed himself on his feet, taking off his jacket and throwing it in a corner of the room. He would need to clean it up later. For now, he walked to the closet and grabbed another identical galaxy print jacket from it. How did Monokuma manage to make so many copies of their everyday clothes? Whatever at least nobody asked questions if he always looked like he wore the same jacket.

By the time he left his room, the dormitory was empty. Everyone already left? He had taken 10 minutes to get up from his bed, after all. His gaze fell on the second door to his right, where Kokichi's room was. He remembers every time they would both leave their room at the same time, the supreme leader would tease and mock him. He always found a way to get under his skin. And when Kaito tried to catch him, he would jump off the balcony to the floor below and runoff while laughing like a stupid horse. His laugh was so dumb.

The Ultimate Astronaut left the dormitory building, making his way toward the school building. Before he could reach the entrance, the door opened as his two sidekicks came out. Both their eyes locked with him immediately.

“There you are. What took you so long?” Maki asked, her tone similar to a teacher scolding a child.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, Maki Roll. Had to get my hero look on, you know!”

“Whatever,” she mumbled. “Everyone's already there.”

“You weren't coming, so we decided to come to find you,” Shuichi added.

“Aww, were you guys worried about me?” he asked with a grin.

“No,” Maki replied.

“A little,” Shuichi replied.

He chuckled. He really had the best sidekicks. They had grown so much, that they liked to admit it or not. Shuichi had become more confident in himself. And Maki, while still pretending she doesn't care, she joined and helped them all the time. They still had a way to go, though. That's why he couldn't tell them about this illness that kept growing, worsening. They relied on him to grow. They shouldn't have to worry about him…

They reached the gymnasium quickly enough. As they entered, Kaito noticed that everyone was indeed already there. His eyes were immediately on Miu. The Ultimate Inventor was standing to the side, looking so much smaller than usual. Just like Kokichi, Miu had always possessed a strong personality that made her so noticeable and imposing. Her language and loudness was probably a huge factor in it, as well as her ego. Now she looked terrified, and, if Kaito had to guess, she hadn't slept at all. Her hair was a mess, her make up too. Keebo was at her side, the robot looking demoralized too. The two of them had grown to be close friends.

“You okay, Miu?” he couldn't help but ask.

She glared at him, not lifting her head from facing the ground, “What do you fucking think, asstronaut?!”

Kaito bit his tongue. He felt a bit annoyed at her harsh response when he was only trying to be nice at her. She did try to pin a murder on him. Kokichi's murder. He feels like he shouldn't have to be nice to her. But he's a hero. Heroes don't hold a grudge.

His thoughts drifted to Kokichi again. Man, now that he wasn't there, it was so painfully obvious that they were missing someone important. For the better or for the worse, he was always a huge part of the group. He could feel everyone's tension and he is sure that if Kokichi was there, he would say something that would work up everyone to throw their frustration at him. Kaito always wondered if he was doing this on purpose or not.

He had no time to really think about because the bear that made their lives hell decided to take this moment to appear. Monokuma wished them a good morning, asking if everyone slept well, but when no one answered, he started grumbling about how kids these days were so impolite.

“So, I guess since we're here, it means you've come to a decision?” Maki asked, cutting to the chase.

“Yeah, yeah, I was getting there,” grumbled the bear some more. His expression brightened up as he did a little dance. “I've thought about it looooong and hard, and it wasn't easy because it's a very delicate affair, you see? We're on a schedule. I don't have all my life to wait for you all to murder each other, you know?”

Kaito bit his tongue harder, his fists clenching at his sides. God, he really wanted to punch Monokuma. This bear was always so casual about the idea of them killing each other one by one like he didn't care a single bit that they were humans. But of course, he didn't. It was all just a game to him.

“Anyway!” Monokuma continued. “After much reflection and debates, I decided that…”

The silence stretched like he was trying to build up suspense. They waited, and waited, and he stayed silent. Finally, Miu's nerves broke.

“Just fucking say it already!” she screamed. “Do I fucking die or not! Just get over with it!”

“Fine, fine,” the bear said with a chuckle. “I've decided you aren't going to be executed for the murder of Kokichi Ouma, and he would be joining you back into the game!”

The shock and surprise of everyone could be felt through the whole gymnasium. There wasn't a single sound, not even a breath. Miu collapsed on her knees, breaking this silence, and started crying, surely out of relief.

“Wait, what do you mean by Kokichi will join us back into the game?” Shuichi asked, catching immediately on this detail.

“I mean what I meant,” answered Monokuma. “We can't spare blackened if our victim isn't gone. Since this is a special occasion where our victim isn't completely gone, then I decided they would both simply continue the game. So congratulation! You survived for now!”

“How… How is Kokichi going to… to keep playing the game?” Keebo hesitantly asked, not sounding too pleased with how he had to word this. Cause none of them wanted to call this a game. Except for Kokichi. “Is he going to be inside the Virtual World?”

“Ah, no, no! That would be a waste. I mean, what's the point of having him around if he's stuck to a big bulky computer that can only be accessed with the virtual reality headset,” Monokuma said, waving off the thought with his paw.

“Then Kokichi okay?” Gonta's voice rose up next.

“So what you...” Kaito started, not believing he was about to ask that. “You somehow put him back into his body?”

The bear tilted his head. “What? No. That piece of meat is definitely done for. I mean, his brain is now all mushy, and the blood is all jellied. There's no more use for it, so I threw it away.”

The astronaut felt a twist in his guts at this. The idea of Kokichi's body, of any of their friends' bodies, being discarded like old trash, made him feel sick. He never had really thought about what Monokuma was doing with the bodies. He wasn't just putting them in a dumpster, was he? They deserved a proper burial, a proper grave.

“So where is he…?” he asked through gritted teeth.

Monokuma's devilish grin widened as he pulled a black and white tablet from behind his back. “I present to you the portable Kokichi Ouma device!”

The bear turned the screen toward them, revealing a smiling Kokichi waving at them. Gone was the cartoon-y avatar of the Virtual World, this one looked way more realistic, the resemblance was uncanny.

“Hey, everyone~,” the voice of Kokichi said through the tablet. “Did you miss me?” he asked with a childish smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking by with me.
> 
> The art at the end is made by a friend of mine who I have told everything about this AU and fic, and she couldn't help but draw Kokichi in his tablet. Her twitter is @MayStarYakuza, go see her!  
I won't hesitate to put more arts if I get more, haha. Even if I have to edit back some older chapters.  
And god, if anybody else makes fan arts, please tag me. I'm @mystikelh on both Tumblr and Twitter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Cries* Thank you for all the support you give this fic. I love you all.  
*Gives you new chapter* I'm sorry for making you wait so long.

How long would it take before they came back?

They said they would be back soon. Or at least, Shuichi had said that, and he liked to believe the detective was someone who kept his word. Kokichi stopped his pacing around the living room and looked at the clock. If it was true to the time in the real world, they had been gone for two hours.

He was getting a bit antsy. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he had died in the real world. How was this even possible? If Miu had successfully killed him, why was he here? He didn't remember Miu actually killing him, either. Just her putting her hand on him. But one way or another, he was dead and his consciousness was still alive in the virtual world. Had he been trapped inside? Was it like… one of those sci-fi horror movies? Honestly, after everything they've seen, here, a soul-sucking computer wouldn't be too surprising.

He brought his thumb to his mouth, biting on it. He wished this avatar had nails. He felt like chewing on every single one of them, right now. Instead, he chewed on the little numb that replaced his fingers.

He wished he hadn't been so prideful and allowed Kaito to stay here. At least he wouldn't be alone… isolated… forgotten…

Had they forgotten about him? Had they decided to just leave him in here forever? Or maybe they were currently at the Trial Ground, executing Miu for her crimes. But the trial would have been very short, they would be done by now. Maybe they really just left him here. Good riddance, right?

But what about Gonta? Would he still try to kill them all mercifully? To prevent them from discovering the truth. If so, they were all in danger. And where had he been, when he needed him to rid of Miu for him?! He had completely abandoned him! Things had spiraled out of control so fast, if he needed to breathe he's pretty sure he would be hyperventilating, right now. He hated being so clueless, so powerless. He had spent the whole killing game perfecting his act, of proving to them he was in control, just for everything to be pulled from right under his feet. It was so frustrating, so annoying, so… despair-inducing…

“Ugh, stupid bear,” he mumbled to himself.

“Now, now. Is it a way to talk about your headmaster?”

Kokichi spun around so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash. There he was, like it was no big deal, lounging on the couch of the living room. He hadn't even heard him log-in. Do Monokuma even need to log-in to the virtual world?

Kokichi quickly put his smiling mask, and he addressed the bear. “Well, you gotta admit, the whole bear thing is a bit stupid. Why not something cooler, like a lion, or a wolf, or-- Oh! A dragon! Dragons are cool!” he said, getting increasingly excited.

Monokuma jumped on his feet, standing on top of the couch. “Hey now! I'll let you know that bears are plenty 'cool'!” he said, patting his chest. “Besides, people loooooove bears! They're cute and cuddly. That's why Teddy Bears are so popular! But they're also very dangerous and can easily tear a child to shred!"

Kokichi stared blankly at him, his smile and all expression gone from his face. "Whatever, why are you here?"

“Isn't it obvious? I'm here because somebody who's supposed to be dead has spoiled the identity of our blackened!” The bear jumped off the couch and approached him. Even he had a cutesy avatar model. It was smaller and rounder than he usually was. Honestly, it looked a bit dumb. Monokuma looked at him up and down, rubbing his chin. “This is very unusual. The virtual world has been thoroughly tested. An avatar shouldn't be working if his player has been killed.”

“Don't ask me, all I know if that I suddenly was alone in here after Miu attacked me.” He started crying crocodile tears. “It was sooooooo scary! I even tried to call you, but you wouldn't answer me!”

“I'm a bear of many talents, but even I can't see directly into the virtual world,” he said, brushing off his outburst.

Interesting. So even Monokuma had limitations on his sight. Did the mastermind also have those limitations? Who knew more about what's going on at all times, the mastermind or Monokuma?

Kokichi smiled. “So, what are you going to do, then? Mmmh?”

“Who knows, maybe I'll just delete you. Erase all your data from the system one line at the time so you can feel yourself getting slowly destroyed. Pupupu!” Monokuma said, sounding somewhat proud of the idea.

“Oh? But isn't there a rule that says that you can't directly involve yourself with the murder of the participants?” he retorted, giving the bear a childish smile.

“You're just a bunch of data, not really a living being,” Monokuma said, waving his paw in dismissal. “So it's perfectly fine for me to get rid of a small computer bug like you!”

“But doesn't that make me some kind of AI, just like Keebo? And Keebo is a participant, too. Even if my physical body is done for, I'm still technically alive just like Keebo is!” He grinned. “But I assure you, I don't need a body to be entertaining. I can manipulate people with my words, as you saw me do with Gonta.”

The bear tapped his chin in contemplation. “Mmh, well, I guess you got a point there. As a super-advanced AI myself, it would be unfair to discriminate between AIs.” He waved his little paw toward Kokichi. “Fine, you win! I'll prepare a way for you to be reintroduced in the school environment so you can keep participating in the game!” He chuckled darkly. “I can't wait to see how you will fare in this new arrangement.”

The supreme leader grinned. “I won't disappoint you. This killing game is so fun, after all. I would have been so heartbroken to not see where it goes from here!” He tilted his head to the side. “Oh, but what about Miu? What's going to happen with her?”

“Oh, her? Well, a class trial would be pointless, so I'll just directly execute her. That should be entertaining enough,” he said dismissively.

Kokichi's expression was blank again.

Oh no, that was not good. As much as he resented the stupid idiot for murdering him, she was the only one with the knowledge to help him with his new condition. And her inventing skills were still the best shot they had to get rid of Monokuma entirely. Hopefully, after this fiasco, her frantic need to escape will have died down and he'll be able to convince her that she now owns him her help to the very end. But that's only if she's not executed…

“Are you sure? I mean, since I'm technically alive, she's technically not a blackened,” he said with an innocent tone. His expression changed to one of maliciousness. “Besides, wouldn't that be more interesting if she stayed around? I mean, nobody will trust her, anymore. She could try again to kill someone. People will start to become paranoid about her presence. Maybe she'll be the next victim! The tension, the suspense! Doesn't it sound way more entertaining than simply executing her?”

Monokuma stared at him for a few long moments. Kokichi started to wonder if Monokuma's avatar hadn't frozen when the bear just started laughing. “You really enjoy this, don't you? Maybe you could have been the mastermind, that would have been interesting!” He said before laughing some more.

He turned his back to Kokichi and took a few steps across the room. “Alright, you convinced me! I won't get rid of the potty mouth. But things better get _very_ interesting after this! I don't want to get bored! I'm sure you know the feeling.”

Kokichi grinned happily. “Of course! Let's make this killing game the most entertaining ever!”

God, he wanted to barf.

\---

The tablet he was now inhabiting was far from what Kokichi had expected. Maybe it had been too much to hope for, but he thought he would get some kind of body, just like Keebo. I mean, they were able to provide one seeing how they had a machine that made Monokuma, apparently. Hell, he would have even taken a Monokuma body if they proposed.

This new existence felt so… limiting. He couldn't move, and the only actions he was able to perform was to open the ehandbook menu and look over the student profiles, the map, and the rules of the school. His vision was limited to what the camera on the tablet allowed him to see. And when he was put in sleep mode, it felt like his whole consciousness just stopped existing until he was brought back. He felt so vulnerable and he hated that. But he gritted his teeth (figuratively) and put up a smile as Monokuma reintroduced him to his fellow classmates.

“Hey, everyone~! Did you miss me?” he asked with childish joy.

He could see their perplexed stare directed at him. Yeah, even they weren't convinced by the whole tablet ordeal.

“A… A tablet?” Keebo said hesitantly. “But… why?”

“What wrong with a tablet?” Kokichi asked, his image bringing his finger to his chin. “Do you have something against people living in tablets? Are you tabletophobe?”

“W-What! That's not a thing! Are you mocking me?!” the robot exclaimed, pointing at him.

“I'm just saying, not all AIs are lucky enough to have a fully functional robot body.” He made a tearful face. “How can you be so mean, Keebo…”

“W-Wha-- I-- No, I-- Argh!”

“How is Kokichi inside tiny tablet?” Gonta wondered out loud. “Is Kokichi okay?”

“Yup! I'm perfectly fine! Who needs a boring flesh body?”

His whole vision became a mess of motion blur as Monokuma fanned the tablet around with his paw. If he had a stomach, he's sure he would feel nauseous.

“So with all that said, this meeting is done! Have fun, kids!” Monokuma's voice echoed.

The entire room started to spin quickly and he let out an involuntary cry of surprise. It was echoed by another, deeper cry of indignation. Before he fully understood what happened, he was in the hands of Kaito, staring up at him.

“You okay?” he asked, frowning.

“Obviously,” he answered with a smile.

Did Monokuma just throw him? What if nobody had caught him and the tablet broke?! Would he have died? He really hated this dumb tablet!

“So what now?” Himiko's voice asked out of his field of view. “Miu still killed Kokichi, even if she wasn't executed for it…”

“H-Hey! Can't you at least pretend you're happy for me?!”

“Like I said last night, she's not a threat anymore since we would all doubt her first if she tried anything,” Maki's voice responded.

“I'm sure Miu is dumb enough to try again,” Kokichi said with a laugh.

He was currently stuck at looking at Kaito's collarbone and underside of his chin. Couldn't he let him see the others, at least? He didn't want to stare at his dumb goatee all the time.

“Shut up, you stupid… tablet!”

He whistled with fake impressiveness. “What a brilliant insult!”

“Alright, alright! Don't start fighting now!” Kaito said, rubbing the back of his head. “I'm too tired for that shit. And hungry. Why don't we go to the dining hall for breakfast?”

“Good idea. We'll feel better with a full stomach,” Shuichi approved.

The sound of the door being slammed open reached Kokichi's ear. He followed Kaito's face and body turning toward the door.

“QUICK, EVERYBODY RUN!” he heard Monotaro's panicked voice yell. “IT'S COMING!! THE GI--”

The sound of tearing metal cut short the screams of the small red bear. Kokichi could now hear a loud buzzing sound. By the look of horror and shock on Kaito's face, he knew it wasn't good news.

Screams were heard as they all started running away from the door. In the sudden movement, Kokichi was able to catch a glance of what was causing the hysteria.

Was that… a giant bug?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Execution or not, the giant bug was still in there. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
